Can Kits?

[skeeordye11]

Has anyone ever tried or heard feedback from any of the hopped can kits out there where you just add boiled or hot water to the hopped extract and some DME? Just curious how they would turn out. Cheers!

 

[Chris_K]

I helped some friends on their first brew, which was a Coopers "Brewmaster" Wheat beer.

I was pleasantly surprised. It's pre-hopped, but you add some DME to it. It was a decent beer, far better than my first beer. I like my extract Hef better and would rather brew that, but if I had one of the coopers kits, wouldn't hesitate brewing it up.

 

[bradsul]

I started out on the Muntons kits and I was always pleased with the beer. The first time I made it I used the directions entirely and added corn sugar instead of DME. It was definitely thin and dry. If you use DME and dry hop (if appropriate to the style) to bring back some freshness they make decent beers in their own right (certainly far superior to any BMC you may buy).

 

[Muss]

They are great to use if you want a really quick brew session. I picked up some expired ones at cost and make them with fresh yeast and DME when I have a busy weekend.

 

[HuggerOrange]

I made a Midwest 20 minute boil kit (Bitter) as my first brew. They basically give you a kit plus some aroma hops, DME and priming sugar. Instead of following the directions they have you boil for 20 minutes. I thought it turned out really good but now I'm reading in other places you shouldn't boil these kits because you can destroy the hops and the extract was already boiled so it's not needed. I also know John Palmer says to ignore the directions on these kits and boil these for 60 min. like any other recipe. Anyone else hear this?

 

[bradsul]

...ignore the directions on these kits and boil these for 60 min. like any other recipe. Anyone else hear this?

My LHBS said to do this if you decide you want to use just the malt extract as the base for your own beer. Basically you boil it for 60 minutes with your own bittering hops because the hop extract they put in boils off somehow. I never tested this theory so I don't know if it is valid.

 

[HuggerOrange]

I can say from experience the hops didn't boil out after about 30 minutes of boil, although I don't have anything to reference it against since I've never made the kit following the directions.

 

[Mutilated1]

I like these can kits. I've done some Cooper's kits and a Munsun's kit and while it won't make a prize winning beer, if you follow the instructions its pretty hard to mess it up.

The only thing about the Can Kits really, is that they're a few bucks more expensive than a comparable extract kit you'd get at the Brew store.

I would not ignore the instructions on the Can though. The malt extract in the Cooper's kit is pasteurized so boiling it is not an issue for sanitation's sake. Boil the water, take it off the heat, stir in your Can and your fermentables. Stir for a couple minutes and put it in the fermenter.

If you plan ahead and use bottled spring water, you can boil 1 gallon and mix in it. If you put the other 4 gallons in the fridge overnight - no need to cool the wort !!

One other thing about these kits I just noticed... they make 5 UK/AU gallons for those of us in the USA thats 6 of our gallons, so it actually makes a bit more beer than you think.

Anyway, I really like the kits - they're nice and easy. You can cook a batch, get it into the fermenter, put the previous batch in a secondary if you like, bottle a batch, and clean up afterwards in about an hour.

 

[dibby33]

Cans are quick. just use the DME and extra hops to freshen them up.
I use them as bases and for the sheer speed of them (I have NO spare time).